Everyone was in the heart of Brooklyn to celebrate their heritage together.

“Being away from your country, it’s good to kind of see different aspects of different cultures, different parts of the Caribbean,” Smith said. “It’s always good to come together and really just have a happy time.”

Flags from different islands decorated Eastern Parkway.

“All the different countries, they get to get together, and we get to eat the different food and celebrate together,” said Venecia Little.

With a strong tradition comes dedication. The detailed costumes, with all kinds of fabrics beads and sequins, are also filled with love and labor.

Pat Nurse said it took a month to make her costume.

“To me, it’s like if you love something, you don’t even feel it being hard,” she said.

And to keep up with all the dancing, there was, of course, some authentic grub. For example, one Jamaican stand was cooking up dishes such as curry goat and chicken the traditional way — on rims from a car tire.

“Today we have plantains ackee and soft, which is Jamaica’s national dish,” Michelle Gunter said.

“We use car rims for the cold stove, so we are using the tradition of cold stove,” she added. “It gives us special flavor.”